Your rights

Applicants and card holders in the blue card system, including exemption card holders, have certain rights afforded to them under the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000. These include:

A fair and just process

There is a commitment to ensuring the fairness of the blue card application process and to ensuring that ‘natural justice’ is followed. This means if the information which is received raises concern about an applicant's background or criminal history it will:

provide the applicant with all information that is being considered

allow the applicant to have their say

consider all information provided by the applicant to support their blue card application

make sure the applicant understands the process and how the information will be assessed, and

in most cases, give the applicant an opportunity to have the decision reviewed if they disagree with the decision.

Having your say

If there is police or disciplinary information about an applicant or card holder that is considered relevant to the individual's eligibility to work with children, the applicant or card holder will be invited to make a submission (PDF, 397KB) in support of their application.

Withdrawing your application

Applicants may request that their application be withdrawn during the processing stage.